Always Him
by vindicateme
Summary: What if before Sasuke returned, Sakura was able to love someone else for a brief time? A fic to satisfy both kakasaku and sasusaku shippers. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

This is a fic to satisfy both kakasaku and sasusaku shippers! Slightly AU - I'll try to fit it in the same timeline with slight changes from canon. In the prologue, Kakashi is present at the battle-field instead of off fighting Obito when Sasuke arrives during the war.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun?"

Kakashi stood a short distance behind Sakura, who stood a short distance away from the newly arrived Sasuke, her hands still glowing with green chakra as she continued to heal Naruto. Kakashi should have been happy to have his former student return just when he was needed - and he was - but he couldn't help feel a little sad too.

 _Heh... it was always him._

He barely registered what happened next... distantly, he heard Sasuke proclaim his desire to become Hokage, but he was distracted by memories of pink hair between his fingers, soft skin, green eyes... the feel of her beneath his hands...

Kakashi watched Sakura in resigned acceptance as she stepped forward with Naruto to join Sasuke as the newly reunited Team 7. He started to remember again... the warmth of her embrace... but then she looked back at him ever so slightly and smiled. He saw sadness in her eyes, a silent goodbye. Then everything was bright and he was snapped back to reality. The First Hokage was yelling out commands, and Kakashi rejoined the fight.

* * *

 ** _Two years before_**

"Kakashi-sensei... Damn it, could you be any more reckless?!" Sakura lifted his forehead protector and inspected his left eye. He had just come back from a mission and had over-exerted the use of his Sharingan. It hurt a lot and his vision was blurry, but he was still walking. "You're going to make yourself go blind at this rate... is that what you want?"

"Sorry, Sakura..." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed to be scolded by his former pupil. He knew she was right, of course.

"I can ease the pain, but the damage to your eye may be permanent. You really need to be more careful! Don't you want to be able to _see_ me when I surpass you?" She smirked down at him as she applied medicinal drops to his eye. He chuckled, no doubt in his mind that day would come sooner or later. Then he was engulfed in the warmth of her healing chakra and he let his eyes close comfortably.

Moments went by, and he was unsure how much time that was exactly, but he was content to stay this way... Sakura's green chakra behind his eyelids, making him feel warm and sleepy... the pain slowly dissipating.

"Sakura?" Tsunade's voice at the door of the exam-room stirred him and when he opened his eyes, Sakura's focused eyes were centimeters away from his, their lips almost touching through the thin fabric of his mask. Her brows were knit together slightly in concentration, a gentle pink flush covered her cheeks, a sign of the effort she was using. He found himself entranced by those sea-foam green eyes, the curve of her lips, sligtly parted. He felt the warmth of her left thigh between his knees as she leaned into him closely but never touching. Green chakra tinted his vision as she continued to heal him. He was painfully aware of her breasts in his peripheral, just below his chin as she hunched over him. Her red vest seemed tighter on her than he remembered. _My god... when did she become a woman?_ He gripped the edge of the exam table under him tightly to keep his hands from pulling her body against his.

"Sakura, did you hear me?!" Tsunade called impatiently from the door. Sakura still wasn't hearing her, remaining focused on her task, and he realized that he had forgotten about Tsunade too.

"Uh... Sakura?" Kakashi whispered softly, careful not to let their lips touch in their close proximity. Blinking, Sakura's pink eyelashes tickled his face.

"Hmm?" Her breath was like mint and strawberries. She seemed to just realize how close her face was to his and began to blush deeply. Kakashi gestured to the door with his eyes and Sakura straightened herself, stepped back from the table, and looked back at her shishou. Kakashi immediately missed her warmth.

"Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry, I must have been so focused, I didn't hear you calling me." Sakura's eyes crinkled into an apologetic smile as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her head.

"Oh, Kakashi, you're back." Tsunade walked into the exam-room and picked up his chart, flipping through it. "Tch, I told you to lay off the Sharingan for a while. Doesn't anyone in this village listen to their Hokage?"

"Sumimasen, Hokage-sama... it couldn't be helped. Sakura here is taking good care of me though."

"I noticed." Tsunade snapped back. He glanced at Sakura, who seemed oblivious to the implication in her master's remark and he was glad that his mask hid his burning face. "Sakura, why don't you head home? Shizune told me your shift was supposed to be over hours ago. You know you're not supposed to be on duty over twelve hours at a time. I'll take care of Kakashi from here."

Kakashi checked the clock on the wall and was surprised to realize he had been there for two and a half hours. Did she stay for him? Looking back at Sakura, he cursed himself for not recognizing the signs of exhaustion that were so blatantly apparent now that he surveyed her more carefully... the circles forming under her eyes, her pale complexion, the slight slump of her shoulders. "Sakura, you shouldn't push yourself so hard." he said.

Sakura made an irritated sound, placing a hand on her hip. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know. And it was a good thing I was here, don't you think? A simple 'thank you' will suffice. Here I am, eighteen years old and still being scolded by her two teachers... and on my birthday!"

 _Birthday?_ Kakashi checked his mental calendar and his brows shot up in surprise. It was her birthday alright, and she'd just turned eighteen today. _So that answers when she became a woman..._ he thought wryly before patting her back. "Happy birthday, Sakura-chan!" At Tsunade's sharp glare, he returned his hand to his side. _Tch... she doesn't have to look at me like I'm a pervert..._

"It may be your birthday, but you're not getting special treatment. Go home, Sakura. That's an order!"

"But... Kakashi-sensei..."

"He'll be fine! Or do you think you can treat him more adeptly than I can?" Tsunade arched her brow at her apprentice.

"No, of course not Tsunade-sama... I just..." Sakura stammered, her face turning red.

"I'll come find you and Naruto later, Sakura." Kakashi gave her a reassuring smile. No doubt, Naruto would insist on celebrating Sakura's birthday at Ichiraku Ramen. That fool could be pretty selfish when it came to food.

Sakura sighed. "Okay... I'll see you later, I guess." Pulling her lab coat off, she massaged her shoulder and stretched as she walked out the door. Kakashi watched her back as she stopped at the desk to sign off some charts before heading towards the exit. When he looked back up at Tsunade, she was giving him a disgusted look.

"She's half your age, Kakashi." She put his chart down and approached the exam table, green chakra glowing from her hand as she picked up where Sakura had left off.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm just warning you now... keep your interests in those perverted books of Jiraiya's, and not directed at my pupil."

"She was my pupil first, you know... and I wasn't thinking anything like that about her!"

Tsunade scoffed. "You may be going blind, but I'm not. I saw how you were looking at her."

Kakashi said nothing, knowing it would be pointless to argue, and not wanting to show disrespect. Some part of him acknowledged she was right, as he remembered her face and her womanly form so close to his, the warmth emanating from her body. She definitely wasn't a kid anymore.

* * *

"Well if it isn't Forehead on her very special birthday!"

Sakura had gotten a couple hours of sleep earlier and was now on her way back from running errands. She stopped when she heard Ino's annoying voice from the doors of her family's flower shop. Looking at her watch, she yelled back. "Oh it's you, Ino! Say, isn't it feeding time in the pig-pen?"

She could see the vein popping out of Ino's forehead, and things were silent as the two of them glared at each other. A moment later, they both started laughing uncontrollably and Sakura stepped into the shop for a chat.

"So, what have you got planned for the day, birthday-girl?" Ino asked as she busied herself with completing a flower arrangement. Sakura sat at the other side of the counter, flipping through a magazine absent-mindedly and sipping the tea Ino had made her.

"Nothing, really... Naruto said he would treat me to some ramen later, but I was headed home to get some more sleep first."

"What?! You only turn eighteen once, Sakura, you can't spend your birthday in bed and having lame ramen with Naruto. You do that every day!" Ino rolled her eyes and wrote a note on a card with a careful hand, before setting it in the bouquet. Sakura read it from her seat and raised both her brows.

 _Shizune,_

 _I'm an idiot. Forgive me._

 _Yours,  
_ _Genma_

"Shizune and Genma?! How long has that been going on?" Sakura poked her head above the bouquet to look at Ino with both brows raised. Come to think of it, Shizune-san had been taking less night-shifts at the hospital. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little jealous... she almost never got any male attention herself. People were usually too scared to approach the Hokage's young star apprentice.

"At least a couple months, I think. I saw them together one night, walking out of that new bar that opened up around the corner. And don't change the subject. Why don't you let me plan a party for you tonight? It's a little short notice, but luckily I think the whole group is in town today. Team Eight just got back from a mission last night."

Lately it had been difficult to get everyone together at the same time as they had all been promoted to Chunnin (with the exception of Neji who was a Jounin) and were regularly assigned to high-level missions outside the village. Sakura was itching for a mission herself, but Tsunade often felt she was more valuable helping out in the hospital and learning more medical techniques.

"Oh, I don't know, Ino... I'm pretty tired and Kakashi was gonna join us. It's been a while since we did anything together, the old Team Seven..." Sakura's voice trailed off, as she realized they'd always be missing a crucial member... at least for now.

"Sakura..." Ino reached over and squeezed her friend's shoulder in consolation. "You're still holding on to him, aren't you?"

"Of course I am... Naruto and I... we're going to bring him home one day."

Ino said nothing as she reached over the counter again and tucked a flower behind Sakura's ear, a white cosmos to compliment her pink hair.

After a moment, Sakura stood up. "Well I should be getting some sleep... "

"What about the party tonight? I'll invite all the Jounin and you can see Kakashi there! I wouldn't mind seeing that perfect ass of his tonight either, you know!"

"What?!" Sakura gave her friend a look of shock. "Ino that's gross."

"Hey, you have to admit he is pretty hot."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "How would you know? You don't even know what he looks like under that mask."

"So you think! I took a shift at the hospital one night a couple months back, and they brought him in unconscious."

"So you took advantage of his state and looked under his mask?!" Sakura shook her head in disbelief.

"Hell yeah, I did! Oh come on, you would have too. You've been trying to trick him into removing his mask ever since we were genin!"

"Ino!"

"Aren't you curious, Sakura? We're all adults now... nothing would be wrong if he and I..."

"He's twice our age, Ino!" Sakura argued, but she knew better. In their world, a huge age difference really wasn't as stigmatized when you all took the same risks as shinobi. Any of you could die at any moment... it didn't matter if you were young or old. There were limits, of course.

"Oh whatever. You don't see him that way because he's like your dad. I definitely couldn't see Asuma-sensei that way, but I barely know ol' Copy-Nin Kakashi." Ino stood up to greet the delivery boy as he came into the shop, handing him the bouquet she'd been working on and an address. When she turned back around, there was a glint of sadness in her eyes that always appeared when she was thinking of her late teacher, Asuma.

"Well I'm meeting Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen at seven o'clock tonight, and I guess I won't be too put out if everyone else happened to show up."

"Great! See you tonight, Forehead-chan!"

* * *

"I really messed up this time, Hatake." Genma was pouring sake for the two of them, pulling the senbon out of his mouth just long enough to clank his cup against Kakashi's and toss back his drink. "I sent her some flowers, but I wouldn't blame her if she never forgave me."

Kakashi looked down at his cup, wondering what Tsunade and Sakura would say to his drinking in the middle of the day after just leaving the hospital. Well, he figured it wouldn't be polite if he refused it after Genma had poured it for him. He shrugged and tossed it back, putting the cup face-down when he was done. This way, Genma wouldn't pour him anymore... he hoped. "What did you do, anyway?" he asked.

"I forgot about our date, and by the time I remembered I had already drank five bottles of sake with the guys. When I got to her place, I was too drunk and she had to take care of me." Genma's hands slid over his face in shame. "I can't let this one get away, Hatake... She's the one for me! I knew it ever since the first time we were sitting at this very bar talking about senbon techniques."

"Well.. sending her flowers and drinking more sake will definitely get you out of the dog house," Kakashi said, chuckling.

"Ah... yeah..." Genma smiled sheepishly and stared down at the bottle between them. Well, they couldn't just let it go to waste, could they? "If this is my last bottle... let it be my swan song!" He flipped Kakashi's cup back over and poured the remaining sake into both their cups. "Kanpai!" he exclaimed.

Half an hour later, Kakashi was helping a drunken Genma out of the bar, a task which was proving difficult as the heavy brown-haired Jounin could barely stand. As they walked passed the Yamanaka flower shop, he groaned. "Shiranui, damn it..." he cursed as he bent down to pick up the senbon that had fallen out of his friend's mouth. When he stood back up, Sakura was glaring up at him, a flower in her hair.

"Ka - KA - SHI SENSEI!"

"S-Sakura" he stammered.

"You both reek of sake! What do you think you're doing? You were just in the hospital this morning!"

"Oh Sakura, I heard it was your birthday today! You sure have grown up!" Genma said, grinning stupidly at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"And you!" Sakura jabbed a finger towards Genma. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty in a few hours?! How do you expect to guard the Hokage in that state?"

"Uh... I switched shifts with - never mind." Even drunk, Genma knew better than to get on Sakura's bad side. "I'll just get myself home..." he said, stumbling away.

"Sakura, I didn't have much sake, I swear! It's just that Genma was having a bad day and wanted me to keep him company..."

"I worked hard to treat you this morning, damn it!" Sakura was hearing none of Kakashi's excuses as she turned red, her fists clenching dangerously. He knew he had to calm her down before she turned those deadly fists on him.

"I know! I really appreciate it and my eye is feeling much better, thanks to you. I would never disrespect your hard work... please believe me Sakura-chan!" He smiled nervously at her. "I'm really not drunk," he assured her.

"You better not be..." she snapped before turning on her heel and walking away angrily. Just then, Ino poked her pretty blonde head out the doorway.

"Hey there, Kakashi-sensei!" her voice was sweet as she smiled at him brilliantly. She was wearing her signature crop-top, accentuating her perfect abs. Kakashi groaned internally.. Sakura wasn't the only one who had grown up, and Ino had always matured a little faster than the other girls. She was another one of Tsunade's pupils if he remembered correctly.

"H-hey there, Ino... well.. have a good one," he said quickly before taking off.

* * *

Later that afternoon, just as the sun was coming down, turning the sky into a beautiful mosaic of orange, pink, red, indigo - all the colors that reminded him of his three students - Kakashi was taking a stroll in town while reading his favorite book. Casually, he noticed how much the village had changed since being rebuilt, with new shops lining the main road. He saw Tenten checking out one of the empty lots and wondered if she was thinking of opening her weapons shop Guy had mentioned while he was bragging about his students. Next to the empty lot was a small boutique that had just opened.

Checking his watch, he figured he had a little time before he had to head towards Ichiraku to meet her and Naruto for ramen. _I should get Sakura a gift so she wont stay mad at me..._ he thought. And with that in mind, he headed into the shop.

Perusing the displays against the walls, he scratched his head awkwardly. He had no idea how to shop for a girl of Sakura's age, and hadn't realized how daunting it would be. It's probably why the shopkeeper called his way at that moment.

"Who's the lucky girl, Hatake-san?"

Kakashi recognized the shopkeeper as an old lady he had helped during Pain's attack.

"Just a former pupil of mine," he replied.

"Oh, that beautiful young woman with the pink hair?" The shopkeeper grinned and waved him over. "I've got just the thing for you!"

Embarrassed, but thankful for any help she could offer, he made his way over to the glass display case she was standing behind. She pulled out a pair of crystal earrings, cut in the shape of two cherry blossoms. "Her name is Sakura, isn't it?"

"Yes it is... but this may be too much for an old teacher to give a student." He chuckled nervously.

"Oh, nonsense!" she exclaimed while pushing the box of earrings towards him.

He looked at the earrings more carefully, scratching the back of his head. _Well... it is her birthday... and eighteen is a special one, for sure._ "I guess... are you sure it's appropriate?"

"Appropriate-schmappropriate! If you don't like the earrings, how about this necklace?" She pulled out a necklace with a long silver bar pendant swinging from the chain. "I could engrave it for you in a flash!"

Kakashi tried not to think of the bar resting at her chest, the bottom of it hanging between Sakura's cleavage...

"The earrings will do."

* * *

Making his way towards Ichiraku Ramen, Team 7's usual spot, Kakashi could hear Sakura's laughter and a cacophony of other voices wishing her a happy birthday. When he got there, he was surprised to see the Chunin and Jounin gathered around his pink-haired student. Ichiraku had expanded since the old days, from a small ramen shop with a single counter and a few seats to a full-fledged restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. The old counter was still there as the center-piece of the whole restaurant, with the old man and his daughter attending to the large group. Chouji was ordering a round of sake for everyone and Ino spotted Kakashi just as he was turning back around.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei!" Ino yelled. Sakura turned around in her seat.

 _Damn_.

"Yo, Ino! Sakura! Happy birthday!" he chuckled awkwardly.

"Were you about to leave?" Naruto asked.

"I didn't want to intrude... since I wasn't invited."

Ino jumped out of her seat, grabbing his arm and unceremoniously dragging him back to the restaurant. "Oh, sorry, Kakashi-sensei! I was going to invite you when I saw you earlier but you rushed off before I had a chance. I knew you were planning on stopping by anyway, so... won't you stay a while? It's Sakura's birthday, after all!"

"Haha... okay... s-sure..." Feeling shy, he stuffed the gift into his flak jacket before taking a seat. He didn't want to give the earrings to her in front of all these people, afraid they'd get the wrong idea.

"Genma seems better... " Sakura remarked. Sure enough, Genma was sitting at one of the tables near the counter with Shizune, his signature senbon hanging from his lips. He never did need much recovery time after a bender.

"Ah... about earlier, Sakura... I just wanted to ap-"

"Oh, forget about that, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura laughed before gulping down her sake. Kakashi couldn't remember if he'd ever seen Sakura drink before.

"Hey, Hatake! Sit with us!" Genma yelled from his table with Shizune and a few other Jounin. An hour had gone by and Kakashi was watching the festivities from his seat at the counter. He could see a group of visiting Mist-nin inside, and he briefly wondered what business they had in Konohagakure. The group of Leaf Chunin were on their fourth round of sake, and things were getting rowdy. Kakashi was happy to just sit quietly, enjoying the show, but at Genma's beckoning he got up and moved to their table.

"Yo, Shirunui... Shizune-san," he nodded politely in their direction before grabbing a seat between Genma and Anko. He turned the chair around to sit it in backwards, his elbows resting on its back.

"Kakashi! Where've you been?" Anko asked.

"Classified mission. I just got back this morning." He shook his head, declining the cup of sake she offered him.

"Ohh, sounds important!" Anko said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"They've got you working pretty hard lately, senpai." Yugao remarked. It was a rare night when he saw her without her Anbu gear. Since Hayate died years ago, she had thrown herself into work, accepting mission after mission... often the most dangerous ones.

"I could say the same about you, Yugao-san."

Just then, the Mist-nin came outside to mingle with the group of Leaf Chunin. He saw Sakura blush as one of them said something into her ear. Naruto was buying everyone another round, and Ino was hanging onto Sai's arm, her eyelids droopy. Sai looked slightly uncomfortable with the interaction, but he didn't push her away.

Twenty minutes later, one of the Mist-nin - a tall drunk guy with a mohawk - was making fun of Chouji. Shikamaru was attempting to drag Chouji away before the forbidden word was used, but it was too late. The whole group fell silent and Mohawk could clearly be heard laughing and calling Chouji fat.

"Uh oh," Genma whispered, and Shizune looked worried.

"Quick! Someone knock him out before he causes an international conflict!" Shizune said softly.

Kakashi got up, pulling his forehead protector up as he appeared between Chouji and Mohawk. He caught Chouji's eye with his Sharingan, and a moment later Chouji fell forward, unconscious. Shikamaru and Kiba caught him before he hit the ground. Kakashi spun around to face Mohawk.

"Who is your commander?" he asked.

"That'd be me," said the guy that had been talking to Sakura. He was just barely taller than Sakura, with black hair and blue eyes, and he wore black-framed glasses. Sakura glanced from him to Kakashi with a sort of unfocused look in her eyes, clearly tipsy.

"You all should leave now. I don't know what business you have here, but your welcome in our village has just expired. Instigating a fight with our shinobi... your Mizukage will hear of this."

Glasses just laughed, grabbing hold of Sakura's elbow. "But the birthday girl doesn't want us to leave..." he said before turning to face Sakura and catching a strand of pink hair between his fingers. "Do you, babe?"

For some reason, this just about sent Kakashi into a blind rage and, with great effort, he forced himself to stay where he was.

Sakura shrugged him off, getting off her seat and stepping away from him. She sort of swayed uneasily, and Naruto and Lee flanked her protectively. Naruto steadied her with a gentle hand at her back.

"Oh come on babe, don't be like that!" Glasses started towards Sakura and suddenly Kakashi appeared in front of her, his hand gripping the Mist-nin's shirt roughly. His hold on him was short-lived as Sakura sent Glasses crashing into the ground with one of her deadly punches. Even drunk, she had amazing chakra-control and Kakashi couldn't help but feel proud.

The other Mist-nin rushed to help their commander up before dragging him away, clearly running scared from Sakura's monstrous display of strength. One of them bowed deeply to the group in an apology before rushing off to join his comrades. The restaurant broke out in laughter and several of the Leaf-nin patted Sakura on the back and bought her more drinks. Kakashi sighed and started back towards his seat before Ino caught his arm.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Ah, Ino..." he said awkwardly. The blonde kunoichi came up on her toes and leaned into Kakashi.

"You are so brave, Kakashi-sensei." Her voice was sweet in his ear. "That was such a turn on..."

Kakashi fell silent, not sure how to respond. He caught Genma giving him a thumbs-up from the corner of his eye before Shizune smacked him. "Um... thanks," he replied lamely. He could smell the sake on her breath.

"You know, I've been lacking an experienced teacher... someone to show me how to be a woman..." Ino whispered. _Well that's pretty shameless,_ he thought. Her free hand came up to rest on his chest and her other hand slid down his arm to take his hand, pulling it towards her waist and leaving it there. Her skin was soft under his fingers. As she leaned up higher on her toes, her crop-top rode up, exposing more of her skin.

"Ino..." Kakashi wasn't sure how long he could resist her in this position. "You don't know what you're saying."

"You know... I've seen your face before, and what a handsome face it was! That strong jaw... those sexy lips..."

"When did you-"

"Oh when isn't important... What's important is where! Where should you put that mouth of yours?"

This was too much for Kakashi, and he couldn't help thinking Ino was way too good at this for someone her age. But then he remembered... _She's eighteen too..._ He tried to put a stop to those thoughts, gently pushing Ino back with no real force, but she leaned into him further, pressing her body against his.

"Kakashi- _sensei..._ " The way she said 'sensei' with that false-innocence was stirring something inside of him... something that was there to begin with, a distant yearning to hear a different student say his name the way Ino was saying it right now.

He was going to hell after this night.

* * *

"Is that Ino leaving with Kakashi?" Tenten asked. Sakura's eyes snapped to the two of them as her head was tossed back and she choked on her drink. Naruto slapped her back as she coughed uncontrollably. Two heads, blonde and silver, retreated into the night, fingers intertwined.

"That Ino-pig! What does she think she's doing?"

"What are you, jealous?" Kiba teased.

"Of course not! Even Sai, who has the social skills of a rock, knows that's just gross!" She turned to ask for Sai's affirmation but he was gone. _Huh? Wasn't he just here a second ago? I must be more drunk than I thought..._

"Why's that gross?" Tenten asked.

"He's old!" Sakura replied, wondering why no one else saw this.

"Oh please, we're all adults here," Tenten said. She pulled some money out of her pocket and set it on the counter, getting ready to leave.

"Right, so I suppose you'd do the same with Guy-sensei, would you?" Sakura asked, rolling her eyes.

Tenten blanched. "Now that's gross, and totally not the same!" she exclaimed.

Sakura laughed. "How's that not the same?"

"Well... because... Kakashi's hot!" Tenten blushed as the words came out.

"And Guy-sensei isn't? I beg to differ!" Lee said.

"What?!"

Lee shrugged. "I'm not saying I'm attracted, but I can spot a good-looking guy when I see him!"

 _Well you look just like him, so that's a little biased don't you think?_ Sakura thought silently. She let Lee and Tenten bicker as she stared off in the direction Ino and Kakashi had left, not really knowing why the whole thing bothered her so much.

* * *

After everyone had paid their checks, Naruto walked Sakura home in a comfortable silence, allowing Sakura to think.

 _Jeez, that Ino... She has no limits! And Kakashi! He should know better... shouldn't he? But I guess... he is a well-known pervert, always reading those books of his._

Her cheeks grew hot as she became angry, but she still couldn't figure out why she was having such a reaction.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice broke her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"We're here," Naruto said. Sakura looked up, surprised to find herself on the front step of her building. "What's this?" Naruto bent down to pick something up and handed it to Sakura. It was a small paper bag - one that she recognized from that new boutique that had opened up. She found a note inside and read it.

 _Happy birthday, Sakura._

 _Kakashi_

"Kakashi... but when did he-"

"You don't really think he'd sleep with Ino do you? She was drunk... he probably just walked her home and then dropped this off."

Sometimes Naruto was more observant than she gave him credit for. Smiling, she took the package inside, bidding Naruto a good night.

* * *

Chapter 2 coming soon! Tell me what you think of Chapter 1!


	2. Chapter 2

_So, I've done a little digging as to the actual timeline in Naruto, from Pain's assault on Konoha to the beginning of the war... It seems not much time passes between those two events in the manga/anime (like a few short months), although by the end of the war, Konoha is supposedly almost done rebuilding. I find that absurd, since Yamato is gone for a lot of that time. The war lasted two days and two nights, so none of this really makes much sense. In any case, for the purposes of this fic, let's just say a year has passed after Pain's attack and the first chapter (not including the Prologue).You'll see why this is important later, and it also explains Tsunade being out of her coma by that time. I should have gone back and refreshed myself on the order of the events that took place before I started writing, but alas - I did say it was slightly AU!_

 _Now, without further ado..._

* * *

Across the street and a couple buildings down from Sakura's apartment building was a cafe that had suffered immense damage from the attack on Konoha by Pain. It had stayed closed since then, a large hole in the facade of the building, the glass display case that once held freshly baked pastries completely shattered. It was from the roof of this cafe that Kakashi silently watched Naruto and Sakura arrive from Ichiraku Ramen. He imagined Sakura visiting the cafe in the morning for coffee and a quick bite to eat in the mornings - before the damage; before the village she grew up loving had been destroyed and forever changed. Kakashi briefly wondered where she got her coffee these days.

The silver-haired ninja didn't quite understand why he had panicked when he'd heard his former students approaching, why he hadn't waited for them and presented Sakura with her gift in person instead of jumping up onto the roof in a hurry. From his stealthy vantage point he could see Naruto bend down to pick up the bag he'd had the presence of mind to leave there before fleeing. The bag was slightly crumpled from being stuffed under his flak jacket, and he was glad that the shopkeeper had insisted he write a note to accompany the gift.

He thought he saw Sakura blush slightly, her cheeks dusted with a pretty rose color that matched her hair. He could see the question in her eyes, but he couldn't make out what they were saying - he could have lifted his forehead protector and used his Sharingan to read her lips but he didn't think the medic would approve of such irresponsible use of his Sharingan so soon after she'd spent considerable time healing him. He'd already used it to knock Choji and then Ino out earlier in the night and he had to admit that even that much use of his visual prowess had tired him out. It would take some time for Kakashi's stamina and chakra endurance to return to normal.

As Sakura retreated into her building - still walking unsteadily from the sake she had consumed earlier - Kakashi watched while Naruto took off towards his own apartment, and stood up from his crouched position on the roof. He could see Sakura's bedroom light flip on before her pink head appeared in the window. Her arms reached back to untie her forehead protector, and her hair spilled down, no longer pulled back by the red fabric. Kakashi found himself mesmerized for the second time since that morning, as Sakura's pink locks relaxed around her shoulders, framing her slightly flushed face beautifully. As she reached into the bag, pulled out the black velvet box, and opened it, he held his breath. Her green eyes widened in surprise at the crystal earrings sparkling before her and she blushed once again, her lips parted in a soft gasp. The sound of his heart beating filled Kakashi's ears and he thought he could feel the muscle trying to break out of his chest. Gently, Sakura put the box down next to the forehead protector that lay atop her dresser. Her fingers brushed the pale pink crystal earrings and a smile brushed her lips. Her eyes softened and she stayed there like that for another minute, regarding Kakashi's gift. When she turned around, her hands grasped the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head. Kakashi immediately looked away, but he could still see her slender but toned back as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

* * *

It was five in the morning when Sakura's alarm went off and she groaned, her head pounding from the previous night's festivities. She waved her hand around without opening her eyes, succeeding in shutting off the offensive noise, but whacking the alarm clock off her night stand in the process. She laid her arm across her eyes to block out the light pouring in from her window but it was futile - once she was up it was always hard for her to go back to sleep. Her body was used to waking up at the crack of dawn for training. She peered down her nose from under her arm as something twinkled at her in the morning light and she gasped, sitting up abruptly. _The gift!_

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she stood and crossed the room to her dresser, picking up the elegant jewelry box. _So beautiful... are these really from Kakashi?_ She couldn't believe her old sensei would give her such a gift, and didn't even want to think about how much they cost him. In all the years she'd known him, he had never given her anything except his wisdom and patience. Putting the box down again, she stepped into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

After brushing her teeth and splashing some water on her face, Sakura wrapped her chest in bandages and threw on some workout clothes before making her way to the kitchen. Finding some aspirin in one of the cupboards, she put two in her mouth and gulped it down with an entire bottle of water. She often wished she could use medical ninjutsu to fight hangovers. She figured it was probably the world's way of punishing you for drinking too much sake and there was no easy way to get over it. Standing at the counter eating a simple breakfast of apples and peanut butter, Sakura looked out towards the living room of her small apartment and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Having decided it had been time to live on her own, Sakura had moved out from her parents' house shortly after her promotion to Chunin. Located near the eastern edge of the village, Sakura's apartment building had been far enough from the epicenter of Pain's assault that it was one of the very few buildings left mostly standing. After the destruction of Konohagakure, Sakura had been glad she hadn't been able to afford to live closer to the center of the village with her meager salary. While the building had sustained some damage, it hadn't taken long to fix and her apartment had been left totally unscathed.

As she looked down at her breakfast, Sakura couldn't help but miss her mother. Mebuki Haruno would never have let her daughter start the day with so little to eat. Ever since Sakura had moved out, she noticed that her relationship with her parents had improved immensely. They no longer argued about unimportant things like Sakura's messy room and her parents' constant butting in. Now, when Sakura visited her parents, she would spend hours catching them up on her life, her mother and father listening with open ears and pride in their eyes. It had been a couple weeks since the last time that had been, as Sakura had been keeping an intense schedule at the hospital lately. It was her first day off in a long time and she resolved to visit them that night.

* * *

It was cool outside when Sakura stepped out for her morning run. She could see her breath in the air as she started down the road at a steady pace, making her way towards Team Seven's old training grounds. She recognized Ino's blonde head coming out of the market and decided to avoid her. She knew she was being a little irrational but she still couldn't believe her behavior last night. _Hanging all over Kakashi-sensei like that... who does she think she is?!_

She blushed at her own thoughts. _Why do I even care? They can both do whatever they want._ It wasn't so long ago that she was rooting for Kakashi and Hanare, the kunoichi that had been brought to Konoha as a prisoner. And that was ridiculous - Hanare was a criminal and a spy. Ino was her friend. So why shouldn't Sakura be supportive? _But it's not like he sees her that way. Like Naruto said, nothing probably happened last night._

Sai was already there when Sakura arrived at the training grounds. They had been training together for the past few months and Sakura found him to be a great sparring partner, despite his offensive nickname for her. He was naturally better at taijutsu than she was but she had been working hard to get better and it was a good challenge without being insurmountable. What she lacked in natural ability, she made up for in strength.

"Good morning, Ugly."

"Stop calling me that!" Sakura yelled, angrily. Normally she would ignore him but she was already in a bad mood and her hangover hadn't gone away yet. Instead of responding, Sai just flashed her one of his disturbing smiles which prompted her to lash out with her fist.

Barely dodging her sudden attack, Sai put some distance between them. "It's not polite to start when your opponent isn't ready, Sakura-san!"

Ten minutes into their session, Sakura was working up a sweat, her breath heavy. Sai looked like he'd barely put in any work, which only served to vex Sakura even more. It was her chakra-enhanced strength that usually kept Sai on the defensive, but today Sakura felt distracted. She found herself thinking about Ino and Kakashi and his strange but beautiful gift. She dropped her guard and Sai landed a well-placed foot to her cheek. Something crunched upon impact and Sakura yelled out in pain, stumbling to the ground.

"Sakura-san!" Sai crouched down and helped Sakura sit up, inspecting her already bruising cheek, real concern in his eyes. "Forgive me... I thought you would parry. Are you alright?"

Sakura warded Sai off with a flurry wave of her hand, more annoyed with herself than anything. "Tch... It's my fault. I've been off all morning."

"Me too," Sai replied softly. Sakura surveyed Sai's face with an arched brow, surprised to see a real expression there; a rare sight.

"Everything alright?" she asked as she started to heal her fractured cheek. Before he could answer, the sound of steps interrupted them.

"Sakura-san. You are needed at the hospital. Please report there right away." One of Tsunade's attendants walked towards them and handed Sakura a note, which she opened right away.

"Sorry, Sai. Let's catch up later. A squad is on their way in with heavy injuries and Tsunade-sama is busy with the elders."

"Okay. See you later, Sakura-san."

Sakura got to her feet and when she looked at Sai again, she wasn't surprised to see his face carefully fixed in one of his concealing smiles. She sighed. _Damn, he was just about to open up._

"Is there time for me to stop at home to shower?" Sakura asked, addressing Tsunade's messenger.

"Yes, but please hurry. They will arrive in less than an hour."

* * *

Back at her apartment, Sakura hurried into the shower to wash the sweat and grime off her body from the morning's training with Sai. Her cheek was still aching since she hadn't had time to properly heal herself before Tsunade's messenger had interrupted. As she stepped out of the shower and inspected her cheek in the mirror, she could see a green and yellow bruise and knew that while she had mostly healed the fracture underneath, there was still probably some cracked bone. Knowing she didn't have time to finish the job, and wanting to conserve her chakra for the injured squad on their way to the hospital, Sakura briskly towel dried her short hair and applied a salve to her cheek.

After throwing on her clothes and tying on her forehead protector, she turned to rush out the door when something sparkling caught her eye. Though she knew she had to hurry to meet the medical team before the squad arrived, Sakura couldn't help but be drawn to the earrings sitting on her dresser. Without thinking, she crossed the room again and fastened the earrings to her pieced ears and dashed out the door, barely stopping to put on her boots.

* * *

Shizune was already there when Sakura arrived at the hospital, a nurse handing her a white lab coat and a small stack of charts containing preliminary notes on the incoming squad's injuries. A scout had intercepted the squad on their way back to Konoha and hurried ahead to deliver the news to the medical team so that they would have time to prepare.

"Where have you been, Sakura?"

"Sorry Shizune-senpai, I was covered in sweat and dirt when the messenger found me. I went home to freshen up first."

"I've already briefed the team. You will be handling patients One and Two, and I will take Three and Four. Take a moment to read over the charts, then prepare your surgical team. Patient Three will need a simple healing for his kunai-wound, but patient Four will need a poison-extraction and his arm may need to be amputated."

Sakura winced. knowing she would have to deliver the bad news herself. Calling out directions to the medics in her team, she silently chided herself for selfishly thinking of her own discomfort while there was a comrade whose life would be changed forever on his way to her surgical table. The doors of the hospital's emergency wing banged open and Sakura took a second to steel herself for what was to come, before pulling her hair into a ponytail and hurrying to meet her patient.

* * *

It was around midnight when Kakashi stopped into a less-than-half-built tavern filled with other Leaf shinobi. After the loss they suffered as a village, they all needed a place to unwind and mourn their home in solidarity. The proprietor of the tavern had started serving alcohol before the roof was even started, knowing it was so badly needed, and since it was hard to finish building the walls when so many patrons sat inside comforting each other and sharing their loss, the tavern had been left that way... A square U-shaped bar surrounded by beams that made up the frame of the tavern, walls only half put up and the roof missing. People used whatever was laying around as tables and chairs - stacks of wood, barrels, stray palettes. Some even sat on the ground outside the bare frame of the building with their beers in hand, surrounding a small fire.

As Kakashi surveyed the crowd that night for familiar faces, he was surprised to see Sakura sitting at the bar by herself, staring intently into her glass. Most of the younger class of Chunin frequented the fancy bar that he and Genma had visited the day before, or they hung out at Ichiraku Ramen, drawn to the blonde-haired boy who was the hero of the village. As he pulled out a stool next to Sakura, he realized she hadn't noticed him yet.

"Sakura -" he started, but when he caught the shine in her eyes, his mouth closed under his mask. Sakura lifted her head at the sound of her name, turning to find Kakashi sitting there next to her. Her face broke out into a brilliant smile but Kakashi couldn't help but notice something was missing there.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura tucked a pink lock behind her ear, showing off his gift. "They're so lovely. Thank you so much! I'm sorry I couldn't thank you sooner. I've been at the hospital all day -" Her voice cracked then, and tears sprang to her eyes, her smile fading.

"S-Sakura... what's wrong?" Kakashi reached forward and grasped Sakura's arm, his other hand touching her bruised cheek gingerly.

"Oh, sensei... I'm sorry to be like this. It's just been... It was a hard day." Sakura gently brushed his hand away and rubbed the tears from her eyes, desperately willing herself to stop crying. As she rubbed a little too hard, her cheek stung with pain and she winced.

"Who did that?" Kakashi asked, gesturing to her swollen bruise.

"Oh no, it's from training this morning with Sai. I was distracted and he got me good." She smiled sheepishly despite the tears that were still running from her eyes. She even looked pretty when she cried.

"Do you want me to... leave you alone?" Kakashi asked awkwardly. "I don't want to intrude."

"No, no, I'd love for you to stay. I just wish I'd stop crying... I'm being ridiculous. I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't be sorry, Sakura. It's not the first time I've seen you cry." Kakashi handed her a napkin and rubbed her arm gently with his hand. "Do you want to go some place else?"

"S-sure..." Sakura replied, using the napkin to wipe more of her tears.

"Come on then," Kakashi said while standing and gently helping her up.

It was chilly outside as the two of them walked towards the Hokage mountain, Kakashi's hands stuffed into his pockets. They walked in silence, the silver-haired Jounin watching his former student carefully out of the corner of his eye. Sakura had stopped crying shortly after they had left the tavern and Kakashi wanted to know what was on her mind so badly, but decided to wait for her to tell him, and only if she wanted to.

"They suit you... the earrings." he said into the night air, his breath visible. Sakura touched the crystal cherry blossoms adorning her ears as if she'd forgotten they were there.

"Thank you so much, again. They're the most beautiful things I've ever seen!" A real smile crept to her lips, and Kakashi believed her. Sakura may have been a young woman who loved girly things, but she did grow up in a shinobi village. There weren't a lot of pretty things where they came from. _Other than her,_ Kakashi found himself thinking. Abruptly, he faced forward and stared at the mountain, avoiding eye contact with Sakura. Tsunade's enormous chiseled face stared back at him from the mountain, one of the only things that was left undamaged by Pain.

"Hn," he replied lamely, and Sakura laughed.

"You sound like Sasuke-kun."

It fell quiet again as they kept walking, Kakashi staring straight ahead, and Sakura staring at her feet. When they finally reached the mountain, they both started up the dirt path that led to the top. It was colder at this altitude, and when they both sat down on top of Yondaime's head (after a few leaps), Sakura was rubbing her bare arms. It was a while longer before she spoke again, her head tilted back as she stared up at the stars above.

"I lost a patient today..." she whispered.

"I'm sorry Sakura... I'm sure you did everything you could."

"No, I didn't... not at all." Her eyes grew hard and she clutched her arms, her nails digging into her skin. "He bled out while I was cutting off his friend's arm."

Not knowing what to say, Kakashi stayed silent.

"He came in with a simple kunai wound... so I patched him up and rushed into the operating room to treat his comrade who presented with more emergent injuries... When I finally came out to check on him - after I had amputated his friend's arm and spent five hours extracting the poison from his system - I pulled the curtain back and he was just laying there... he had bled out from internal injuries. I missed it... It... It was... " Sakura's face fell into her hands as she tried to bite back more tears. "...It was all my fault!" she forced out before her shoulders hitched up and down and she sobbed silently into her hands.

Kakashi pulled her into his arms without thinking, rubbing circles into her back and stroking her hair. "Let it out Sakura... it's just me here... just Kakashi-sensei," he whispered into her pink tresses, and with that she started to cry more heartily, pain filling her voice as she sobbed out loud.

When she finally started to settle down, Kakashi held her by the shoulders and helped her upright. He took her chin gently in his left hand, and with his right he touched her cheek, green chakra warming her bruise. Kakashi wasn't a medic-nin by any means, but he knew the basics. He spoke in soft tones. "It wasn't your fault, Sakura... I'm sure Shizune-san told you the same thing, but it wasn't. That shinobi was killed by our enemies... not you."

"But I -" Sakura started to protest, but Kakashi cut her off.

"You are so special... one of the most talented medics in all the nations, and you have the biggest heart. But even you can't save everyone. Even Tsunade-sama couldn't." He gently brushed her fully healed cheek with his thumb. "We all miss things," he said, and he realized then that he was talking about himself. As a teacher he had missed so much, and not a day went by that he didn't wonder... if he had paid more attention to what was happening right before his eyes, what might have happened with Sasuke.

After a moment of silence, he realized he was still stoking her cheek and he drew away from her abruptly. Sakura caught his hand and pulled it to her chest, slowly leaning into him. Kakashi held his breath, too stunned to move. Randomly, he noticed how her earrings sparkled in the light of the full moon above their heads but this line of thought was interrupted when her lips met his through the fabric of his mask. Her kiss was slow - tentative at first - but then more insistent, her small hands grasping his face. Gently, her fingers danced along the sides of his face until they slipped over the top of his mask and pulled it down slowly, her eyes closed, not daring to look.

She kissed him again, their mouths now uninhibited by his mask, and this time he kissed back in earnest, his hand moving up to run his fingers through her hair. He felt her long fingers on his skin again as she tried to learn his face without opening her eyes, and she lingered along a small scar along the side of his jaw. He kissed her bottom lip as she did this, and was surprised when her tongue darted out to lick his upper lip. Passion taking over, he took her by the waist and pulled her tightly to him, kissing her harder and harder, their tongues meeting. When she took his bottom lip gently between her teeth, nipping him softly, his fingers dug into her skin. "Sakura," he gasped.

"Kakashi-sensei," she answered back, and when he pulled away from her suddenly, she knew her mistake. By the time her eyes opened, his mask was neatly on his face.

The two of them stared at each other, breathing heavily in stunned silence. Sakura was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to- " she started.

"You shouldn't have done that, Sakura... I'm twice your age... I'm sorry if i gave you the wrong idea, and I know you're feeling bad about your patient... but this can't happen between us," he said firmly, avoiding her eyes.

Sakura stood up then, hurt apparent in her eyes as she dusted herself off. Without a word, she leapt off the cliff. Kakashi watched her pink head as she landed neatly on a ledge below then took another few leaps until she was safely on the ground.

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi left the Hokage's office, slamming the door behind him in a rare display of emotion. He had been summoned there by a hawk in the wee hours of the morning, but instead of Tsunade behind the desk, it had been Danzo, the commander of Root Division.

As he left the newly constructed Hokage Tower, his hands stuffed into his pockets, he looked up at the mountain. Was it really only a few hours ago that he was up there with Sakura? He wasn't quite ready to see her again after what happened, but he couldn't avoid her now. If she had to hear the news, he knew it was better to hear from him... even if she was probably still angry with him. He walked quickly to the construction site where he knew he would find Yamato.

A half hour later, Naruto and Sakura stood before Yamato and him at the training grounds. Sakura stared off into the trees, avoiding eye contact with him as she spoke.

"So? What is it? I have to be at the hospital in half an hour," she said coolly.

 _Well, she's definitely mad at me... Might as well rip off the bandaid..._ "There's news... about Sasuke," he stated.

At this Sakura's head snapped forward, looking at Kakashi for the first time.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her voice small.

"Have we found him? Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking hopeful.

"No... not exactly..." he replied slowly. He glanced briefly at Yamato who was looking solemnly down at his feet. "He's been declared as a rogue ninja... and a kill-on-sight order has been placed on him."

He watched Sakura's eyes widen, her hand covering her mouth as she gasped.

"But how can Tsunade do this?!" Naruto asked angrily.

"Tsunade has been relieved as Hokage. Danzo has been named the Sixth."

"W-What..." Sakura stuttered in disbelief.

"I don't know all the details... Danzo wouldn't say anything else. At this point, you know what I know. I think something may have happened... Sasuke did something... I'm not sure what. Tsunade probably tried to protect him, and as a result she was relieved of her position by the elders, and Danzo was put in her place. He already has the feudal lord's approval."

"I'm going to speak with Danzo," Sakura said, turning around.

"Wait, Sakura..." Kakashi gripped her shoulder, stopping her. It was barely detectable, but she flinched at his touch and there was a brief second of silence as they both remembered the night before.

"I'm going with you," Naruto declared.

"Don't overreact you two, that's what Danzo wants." Yamato said, speaking for the first time.

"Tsunade is my shishou... and what will happen to Sasuke-kun? You can't expect me to keep quiet!" Sakura said. From where Kakashi was standing behind her, he could see her teeth grinding in frustration. He also noticed she wasn't wearing the earrings.

"I don't care what he wants. I'm going to confront him." Naruto said, almost yelling.

"Naruto... you are a jinchuriki. If you cause a scene, you may be detained. Danzo would want nothing more than to confine you to the village. Then how would you search for Sasuke?"

Naruto fell silent, willing himself to calm down. Sakura did the same, and Kakashi let go of her shoulder.

 _I'm sorry, you two..._ Kakashi thought, still feeling that he had failed them.


	3. Chapter 3

_**This short chapter is basically a retelling of the events that took place starting from when Sakura arrived to talk to Naruto at the inn, to when she tracked down Sasuke and tried to kill him – but from Kakashi's perspective. Slight changes from canon here and there.**_

* * *

"Naruto… I love you."

Kakashi watched Sakura, a heavy feeling in his heart as she professed her love to Naruto in front of them all. Yamato stood silent beside him and snow was falling all around them. It had been a hard journey and the tension ran thick in the air, still high after their ordeal with Madara just moments before Sakura arrived with Sai, Kiba, Akamaru, and Lee (who was gawking at the display before him).

Kakashi hadn't had a chance to talk to Sakura before he, Naruto, and Yamato had left to intercept the Raikage on his way to the Five Kage Summit. The last they had spoke was when he had broken the news about Sasuke, and that was the morning after they had been holding each other on top of Hokage Mountain, sharing passionate kisses under Konoha's clear night sky. She had tasted like mint and strawberries, her hair soft between his fingers. Kakashi forced himself to stop this line of thought and snapped back to attention.

Naruto was shaking his head in disbelief, pleading with Sakura to stop joking around. Kakashi knew she wasn't joking, but he knew she wasn't being truthful either. She took Naruto in her arms and held him, speaking softly into his ear. Kakashi could see that she desperately wanted to take back the burden she felt she had left on him years ago. She wanted them both to let Sasuke go as a lost cause. Sasuke had gone too far in joining up with Akatsuki and capturing the Raikage's brother. They couldn't help him anymore, but Kakashi knew Naruto would never give up.

Naruto pushed Sakura away, roughly taking her by the shoulders and yelling at her to stop. She acted confused by his reaction, insisting she was telling the truth until Naruto cut her off.

"I hate people who lie to themselves," he said softly, his fingers digging into her shoulders. As Sakura slapped his hands away and began yelling, Kakashi looked away, feeling it was too hard to watch.

"I understand him better now… his actions… his desire for revenge," Naruto was saying. "Sasuke loved his family and his clan. Because his love ran so deep, it's hard for him to forgive…"

"If he were so devoted, why would he join the Akatsuki after defeating the unforgivable Itachi?" Kiba said, the first one of them to speak aside from Sakura and Naruto.

"That's not how it went down… What really happened –"

"Naruto," Kakashi called sternly, interrupting him. They had all agreed to keep the truth between them. Sakura's eyes met his, confused. He wanted to let her into the secret, knowing she deserved to know the truth, but not in front of the others.

"It doesn't matter if there's no promise between us, Sakura-chan. I still want to save Sasuke… it's personal for me too." Naruto said. There was some commotion as Kiba whispered to Sakura and she slammed her heel down into his foot. He yelped in pain, and Kakashi had to wince.

"Forget it! I'm going back," she angrily declared as she turned and walked away. "Let's go, Kiba, Lee-san, Sai," she called, and they all followed after her, the snow crunching under their feet. Her shoulders looked stiff, and Kakashi knew she was holding back tears.

* * *

"She got us. Please hurry!" Sai's ink-clone yelled before disappearing. Kakashi pushed himself to run faster, trying not to become frantic. _Sakura… I'm impressed_ , he thought. Taking out Sai, Lee, Kiba, and Akamaru was no easy feat and it was a testament to how strong she had become as a shinobi in addition to a medic. He wanted to think he'd had something to do with it but the truth was he knew he couldn't take any of the credit.

Naruto and Sasuke had been two handfuls and Kakashi had to admit to himself that he'd never paid any special attention to Sakura when she was his student. He taught her the basics and helped her to refine the skills she already had… he identified her strengths in chakra-control and genjutsu, but never helped her to develop them. He was a terrible teacher… but he refused to let her down now. As much as she had grown, as strong as she had become, Kakashi knew… she was still no match for Sasuke. Her animus to kill would never be as strong as that of an avenger like Sasuke, and that's what would always set them apart. In fact, Kakashi couldn't remember if Sakura had ever killed an opponent in battle before – subdued or knocked out, maybe, but he didn't think she'd ever been forced to take a life. If she succeeded in ending Sasuke's, it would be her first time… and Kakashi knew that it would haunt her for the rest of her life and change her completely, as she had devoted her life to saving others.

Kakashi mentally swore to himself, knowing he had lost significant time when Gaara and his siblings had arrived to retell the events of the Five Kage Summit and Madara's declaration of war… Then having to deal with Naruto after he had passed out, the stress proving too much for the young ninja who had already been through so much in his short life. When Sai's clone had told his side of the story – how he had contributed to Sakura's state of mind - and they had drawn to the conclusion that Sakura intended to kill Sasuke herself, Kakashi had felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He had wanted nothing more than to take off after her but had forced himself to stick around and listen to the Kazekage, out of respect. Part of him couldn't let her die while she'd still been angry with him. The other part… knew that killing Sasuke should be his own burden to bear. He always was overly protective of Sakura, never wanting anything to soil someone so pure and innocent.

Kakashi had watched Sakura grow in front of her eyes – from a silly girl who had a boring infatuation with a boy, to a young and talented kunoichi whose infatuation had evolved into unconditional love and devotion. That devotion that she still held for the Uchiha was what drove her to track him down now – to put a stop to his downward spiral of violence and death, and to put a stop to the pain she knew had always lived in his heart and had turned him into something ugly and sick. She was, in a way, euthanizing Sasuke. When the time came… would she actually be able to go through with it? Kakashi wondered as he ran at top speed.

The snow had finally disappeared, and the grass was lush and green when Kakashi finally fell upon four bodies laying in the middle of the road. He stopped to inspect them, finding Kiba, Akamaru, Lee, and Sai there, sleeping soundly. He bent down and gave Kiba a few smacks with his open hand.

"Kiba… wake up." The young tracker didn't move, and Kakashi sighed. What kind of sleeping gas had Tsunade taught her to use? He slapped Kiba's cheeks again, this time more roughly. "Oi.. Kiba!"

Kiba groaned softly, his eyes blinking open, barely. "Wh-what…"

"Where did Sakura go?" Kakashi asked. Kiba groaned again in response and Kakashi helped him sit up a little. "You were going after Sasuke, right? Which way did Sakura go?"

"North… Two o'clock… About one kilometer…" Kiba managed to get out before passing out again.

* * *

Moving the three unconscious Chunin and large dog had taken more time than Kakashi had preferred. If Sasuke was only one kilometer away, Sakura had surely arrived by then and Kakashi hadn't a second to lose. He took off in the direction Kiba had detailed and prayed that he would make it in time.

It felt like time was moving in slow motion, as if an hour had gone by instead of only minutes. As he approached what looked like a bridge, Kakashi could hear the sound of birds. _No… not birds…_

Sakura stood, trembling, in front of another young woman who laid on the ground. Sasuke stood behind her, a Chidori poised at Sakura's back. Kakashi was exhausted from the journey but he pushed his body to move forward, watching in slow-motion as Sakura turned to face Sasuke, her eyes wide with fear and surprise. Sasuke thrust forward with Chidori and Kakashi got to them just in time, his right hand clasping Sasuke's arm while pushing Sakura out of the way with his left.

 _He really meant to kill her…_ There was no doubt about it, if Kakashi had arrived a second later, Sakura would be dead and by Sasuke's hand. "How you've fallen, Sasuke!" he bit out. Sasuke's foot lashed out and Kakashi jumped up to dodge, kicking Sasuke's spinning body in the back. As Sasuke regained his footing, Kakashi trapped him in a spiral of piano-wire, only to realize it was a Kawarimi. Sasuke appeared again and smirked as he regarded his old teammates in amusement.

" _Chidori isn't a power I taught you so that you could turn it against your comrades."_ Kakashi remembered himself saying. This was the first time Kakashi had seen Sasuke since that evening. He felt Sakura's presence behind him, trembling, and briefly allowed himself to imagine what Sakura would look like now, if Kakashi hadn't been there. He pushed that image from his mind, quickly.

"Sakura… this is a burden you shouldn't have to shoulder yourself… I was the leader of Team Seven. It was my cowardice that split all of you up," he confessed. When Sakura didn't respond, Kakashi straightened up, speaking so only she could hear him. "Sakura… I said something irresponsible to you, in an effort to put you at ease. The truth is I was only trying to convince myself."

He wondered if Sakura would understand the double-meaning of his words. For the most part, he was referring to back when she was still a child… when Naruto and Sasuke had almost killed each other – and her – on the hospital roof. She was crying then, too young to understand why her friends were turning against each other. Kakashi had told her that everything would be alright, but he knew then that it was a lie.

Another part of him was referring to the words he spoke to her on Hokage Mountain just a few nights before. He knew those words were also a mistake and while his intent may have been right, he shouldn't have treated her like she was a child, or that he didn't have a hand in what had happened. He'd had no right to patronize her. He had wanted her that night too, with every fiber of his being. He didn't just see her as a girl… she was a woman now – a beautiful, strong woman – and no one was as painfully aware of that than he was. If he died today, fighting Sasuke… he wanted her to know that.

"…Sakura… Take the girl and heal her. She may have valuable intel."

"But…" Sakura started to protest, but Kakashi cut her off, speaking slowly and deliberately, pleading with her.

"Take that girl and get away from here…" _Please… please…_ but Sakura stared at him in silence. "I'll shoulder the burden… it's my responsibility." He gave her a smile then, and she looked away. "Alright?" he asked.

She nodded, her eyes to the ground.

"Hurry and go, Sakura."

When she finally bent down and lifted the red-head girl over her shoulder and was a safe distance away, Kakashi's shoulders relaxed.

* * *

Kakashi was fighting for his life now – he rarely fought Sharingan against Sharingan, and both of Sasuke's had evolved into Mangekyou. When Sasuke had flung his shuriken in Sakura's direction, it was just the motivation Kakashi had needed to fight him seriously.

Kakashi's eyes widened as Sasuke summoned Susanoo… he was laughing and screaming at Kakashi. He looked… psychotic. Then something happened… Susanoo was slipping away and Sasuke's knees were buckling. He rubbed at his eyes, and Kakashi knew what was happening – it was the same thing that was happening to him. He was going blind. Kakashi's heart broke for Sasuke then… he knew this was his chance to end things once and for all. Suddenly there was movement behind the Uchiha and Kakashi spotted Sakura, skillfully running along the underside of the bridge, upside down with her poison-dipped kunai in her hand. _No…_ Kakashi took off, running towards Sasuke desperately. "Don't!" he yelled, and instantly regretted giving away her position.

Sakura dropped from the bridge and stood with a kunai positioned at Sasuke's back. Kakashi watched in terror as her resolve crumbled before his eyes. That hesitation was all Sasuke needed to turn and snake his hand around her throat, snatching her kunai from her. Kakashi's legs felt like lead, a symptom of his overuse of doujutsu. He wasn't going to make it in time… Sasuke turned the kunai against her, and thrust forward…

* * *

 _ **Oh no, a cliffhanger! Except not really, as most of you should already know what happened next. Chapter Four will be up shortly.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Warning: Lots and lots of lemon in this chapter. Like, a lot.**_

* * *

It was a long trek back to Konaha after they had picked up Sai and the others. Sakura had put on a brave face while gently waking everyone, looking embarrassed and apologetic. Naruto was still feeling sick and Kiba was agitated about having been used and knocked out, which made the two bicker for what seemed like hours. Sai made sly comments now and then, contributing to the banter and Kakashi wasn't the only one who noticed how Sai seemed more expressive as time went on.

When things had finally quieted down and there was nothing but the sound of their feet hitting branches as they jumped from tree to tree, Kakashi would sneak glances at Sakura to find her completely withdrawn. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder, do something to console her, but couldn't do much with Karin riding on his back. He thought he could hear Sakura's breath hitch softly, and she slowed her pace, hanging back behind everyone else. Kakashi thought about slowing down too but decided to leave her alone and let her have a private moment.

"You're worried about her…" Karin's voice said in his ear so that only he could hear. When he didn't respond, she continued. "You should be. "

"Why do you care?" Kakashi found himself asking.

"I loved him too…" Karin replied softly. _And he tried to kill you… just like he tried to kill Sakura_ , Kakashi thought, finishing her sentence. To be fair, Sakura had tried to kill Sasuke first… but a blind man could see she would never have gone through with it. Sasuke, on the other hand…

"Ow!" Karin yelled. Kakashi realized he had started to dig his fingers into her legs.

"Sorry."

"What's going on back there?" Kiba asked, loudly.

"Nothing," Kakashi replied before stopping on a low branch. "We should stop here, get some rest. We're all tired, and a few of you are still recovering."

While the others stopped and started setting up camp, Kakashi secured Karin to a tree. "Keep a lookout for Yamato," he called. Surely, he was finished patching up the hole that Naruto had created in the floor of the inn they had been staying at and was on his way back to Konoha too. Naruto was complaining about having left his provisions behind, and out of the corner of Kakashi's eye, he saw Sakura walking away from the group towards the sound of water. "Sai. Guard the prisoner," he ordered before going after her.

When Kakashi found Sakura, she was soaking her feet in a river, sitting at the bank with her arms around her knees and staring up at the clouds. Her boots, socks, and garter pack lay strewn about around her.

"Sakura?"

Sakura turned her head at the sound of Kakashi's voice. As he approached and sat down next to her, she gave him a sad smile. "You don't have to lecture me, Kakashi-sensei… I know how stupidly I acted."

"That's not… I didn't come here as your sensei."

"Then what are you here as?" Sakura asked without looking at him, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Kakashi thought silently for a moment, trying to find the right words. The sound of water trickling drew his eye to Sakura's bare feet. "I'm your friend, Sakura."

Sakura chuckled, the sound harsh. "If you hadn't noticed… I don't treat my friends very well," she said, looking back towards the direction of the camp.

"They'll forgive you… they likely already have. Besides, Naruto can never stay mad-"

"He tried to kill me, Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura bit out, her voice cracking as she interrupted him.

"Sasuke's… sick, Sakura. He's not who he was…" Kakashi moved closer to her, stroking her back.

"No… I'm the one who's sick…" Sakura said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "Because, I still love him…"

* * *

As they approached Konaha's gates, Yamato having joined them along the way, Kakashi set Karin down and let him and two Chunin take her into custory where Ibiki was no doubt waiting. Kakashi had sent a message with Pakkun ahead of time, detailing the news about Danzo and their confrontation with Sasuke, but leaving out some details. No one needed to know about Sakura knocking everyone out and going on a rogue mission to assassinate Sasuke herself, and he'd made sure to tell the rest of the team to keep their mouths shut as well.

Since Danzo was killed, Tsunade had be reinstated as Hokage and the debrief had lasted hours. By the time Kakashi left the Hokage Tower, he was exhausted to the bone. He made his way to his apartment where his bed was waiting for him. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for the next two days. As he made his way up the stairs of his building, he stripped off his gloves, stuffing them into his pocket. Sakura was waiting for him outside his door.

"Kakashi," she said softly as he approached. She wore a long navy thermal, the same as Kakashi wore under his flak jacket. The difference was Kakashi wore pants. Sakura wore… nothing but a pair of sandals on her feet, the bottom of her shirt grazing her thighs. It took every ounce of willpower for Kakashi to tear his gaze from her long porcelain legs.

"Sakura… what are you…" he started, before she came forward, grasping his shirt and pulling him to her. Kakashi grabbed her by the waist and held her away from him, speaking firmly. "Sakura, no."

A flash of hurt filled her eyes for a second before her arms came up quickly, snaking under Kakashi's and pushing them off her – a move Kakashi would typically use in a fight. Her hands slid to his wrists and pulled them around to her back. Coming up on her toes, she whispered into his ears, "I need you… Kakashi." Noticing she didn't say 'Sensei', he was aware of her breasts pressed against his chest through the fabric of their matching shirts and struggled to maintain his composure, knowing without a doubt that she wore neither a bra nor wrappings underneath.

"Sakura… you're not yourself. You're hurting; you're not thinking straight," he blurted out, but she kept on going, pressing herself tighter against his body. She pushed one of his hands down below the small of her back and he resisted, trying to keep it in place. As she touched her lips to his through the fabric of his mask, he kept perfectly, carefully, painfully still. Balancing on one foot, her leg came up around his waist, and he shuddered softly, desperate to keep his self-control. _Oh god…_ Her hips met his and she moaned softly into his lips. "Sakura," he said again with frustration.

"Fuck me, Kakashi…" she whispered, and he unraveled suddenly. His hand slid down to grip her ass under her shirt, surprised to find her panties missing. His lips crashed into hers, his mask sliding slightly down his nose. A sound slipped out of his mouth, almost like a growl as he squeezed her, his fingers digging into her skin while he pushed her back against his door. Her hands came up to pull his mask down but he caught her wrists roughly and held them above her head. Keeping them there with one hand, his other hand moved down along her body, squeezing her breast hard along the way. She gasped and pulled him against her with her leg, her butt separating from the door as their hips met again and he knew she could feel his hardness through his pants because he could feel the heat of her womanhood pressed against his crotch. He growled again, grabbing her by the hip and shoving her back against the door. His hand slipped under her shirt and his fingers dipped into her wetness, finding her clit, and she moaned loudly. In the back of his mind, he was aware that anyone could catch them in the open hall of his apartment building.

"Shh, Sakura," he chided as he thrust two fingers into her, his thumb still rubbing against her clit and when she moaned even louder he let her wrists go and held his hand over her mouth. Fingering her roughly, he stared into her green eyes, listening to the muffled sounds of her pleasure against his hand.

"Shut up," he grunted, somewhat surprised at his own roughness. Her hips moved in tandem with his efforts and her teeth clamped down on his hand, straining not to make a sound, biting harder and harder as her pleasure built. After a while, her eyes closed and Kakashi knew she was close, but as he heard feet coming up the stairs at the end of the hall, he slipped his fingers out of her abruptly, eliciting from her something that sounded not unlike a whine. Quickly, he took his keys from his pocket and reached passed her to open the door.

They stumbled inside and Kakashi kicked the door closed before they crashed to the ground. As their bodies hit the hardwood floor, Kakashi glanced at the old photo of Team Seven sitting atop the console table in his entryway. Sakura's twelve year old face stared back at him and he moved away from her suddenly, sitting back with his hands supporting his weight. Voices passed behind his door as his neighbors let themselves in across the hall.

 _What are you doing?_ Kakashi thought to himself, breathing heavily as if he'd just ran a marathon. How had he let this happen? This wasn't Sakura… the Sakura he knew didn't show up on men's doorsteps panty-less and ask them to fuck her. She was hurting, clearly, and was desperate to get over Sasuke. She would regret this in the morning, and Kakashi couldn't be a part of that.

As Sakura moved forward, hovering above him while her fingers curled around the top of his mask, Kakashi caught her hands again and held them away. "Sakura, stop."

"Please, Kakashi…" she whispered, climbing into his lap.

"Sakura, damn it!" he grunted, taking her by the shoulders and trying to pry him off her.

"Please… please…" she urged, moving her hips against his, grinding against his crotch where he knew his body was betraying him. "Please," she whispered again, her eyes closing as she slid his mask down with her teeth and pressed her lips against his. Her tongue slipped out as she licked his lips. "Please, Kakashi… I need you to fuck me," she breathed against him, her eyes still shut, and he felt control slipping away from him again.

 _God forgive me._ Kakashi shifted underneath Sakura, taking her by the waist and leaning forward until her body touched the ground and he hovered above her. She wrapped her legs around him as he pushed her shirt up, exposing her. "Damn it, Sakura…" he growled, frustrated at his own desire, and something inside him was pleased to find her eyes still closed as he pried her legs off him and pushed her knees apart, spreading her open. His eye moved down her body to her breasts and he bent down to take a small pink nipple into his mouth. His hand slid between her legs and he pushed his fingers into her once again, cupping her.

"Kakashi!" she cried out while he fingered her unrelentingly, his fingers curling to hit the sensitive spot he knew would drive her over the edge, her moans and gasps filling the room. His thumb brushed her clit and he looked up at her face as he nipped gently at the nipple in his mouth.

"Give it to me, Sakura…" he grunted after letting go of her nipple, watching her face as her eyes opened wide, glued to the ceiling. "Come on, Sakura," he said, squeezing one of her tits with his free hand. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she arched her back as she came, her breath hitching. Her wanton display of passion proved too much for Kakashi and while Sakura rode those last waves of pleasure, he unzipped his pants, pushed his briefs down and shoved her knees back. When he plunged into her unceremoniously, he swore she came all over again.

Grunting, he forced himself to breathe deeply, his fingers digging into her thighs as he used every ounce of his willpower to slow down. He moved in and out of her at a steady pace and leaned down to kiss her gently on the neck.

"No," she whispered, and he stopped abruptly, searching her face. _Is she regretting this, suddenly?_ But she wrapped her arms around him and dug her nails into his back. "Be rough with me, Kakashi," she moaned, making him growl and he picked up the speed of his thrusts, his hand sliding up her body to the back of her head, his breath hot against her neck. He took her by the hair and pulled roughly, fucking her harder. "Be rough with me," she repeated, challenging him.

Kakashi pulled out of her suddenly, making her cry out for the loss, taking her by the waist and flipping her over onto her knees before he grabbed her ass and pulled her cheeks apart, spreading her open, his fingers bruising her skin. When he pulled his hand back and slapped her ass, she cried out again; her head falling back as he thrust into her, filling her completely. "Is this what you want?" he demanded, leaning forward to whisper into her ear. Their skin slapped together as he thrust in and out, grunting.

"Yes, oh god, yes Kakashi," she replied, and when he felt her squeeze him inside, he shuddered.

"Sakura," he moaned against her shoulder, and suddenly it was too hot in his apartment, underneath all his clothes. As he pulled his flak jacket and shirt off, Sakura moved against him, pleasuring herself on his manhood. Her head tossed back and he grabbed her hair again, pink locks tangled in his fist. Tugging slightly harder, he lead her so she sat up on her knees, her back against his chest. He pulled her shirt up over her head, and as her arms raised he gathered the fabric around her wrists and pulled her arms back around his neck. He wasn't worried when her back arched forward almost impossibly, knowing just how her training made her limber beyond imagination. His hands snaked around to her front, one moving down to rub her clit gently and the other moving up to wrap firmly around her neck without squeezing.

As her breath came harder and harder and she quivered against him, he knew she was getting close again. He buried himself deep into her pussy, thrusting up hard and short, hitting that sensitive spot inside her over and over until she screamed, her body tensing and her breath catching. He fought his own climax until he felt her relax against him, and let her arms free so that she fell forward slowly, her head resting on the floor, exhausted. He gripped her hips and pulled her against him, again and again until finally he yelled and pulled out of her, spilling his seed into his hand.

Not knowing where he found the strength, Kakashi stood up and walked into the kitchen to wash his hands. When he was done, he pulled his mask back up, zipped up his pants and returned to Sakura, who lay spent on the floor, her shirt flung to the side, her eyes closed peacefully. Gathering her into his arms, he carried her to his bedroom and set her down on his bed. She was soundly asleep when her head hit the pillow, and he sat at the edge of the bed, looking down at her naked form, his fingers smoothing out her hair.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

Breathing deeply, he pulled the covers over Sakura's small body and got in next to her, sleep coming easily.

The next morning, there was a part of Kakashi that was surprised to find himself alone in his bed… but there was also another part of him that wasn't so surprised. Rolling over with a sigh, he fell back to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Whew! That was intense, eh? Another short chapter, I know. The next one will be longer, I promise!**_


End file.
